


A Tinted Crystal

by Dreamprism



Category: Life Is Strange 2 (Video Game), Twin Mirror (Video Game)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-13 23:27:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 5,649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29286777
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dreamprism/pseuds/Dreamprism
Summary: Sam Higgs, made famous for ruining his hometown of Basswood twice with his journalism, is now tasked with helping the FBI understand the case of Sean and Daniel Diaz just after the events at the Mexican Border in the Redemption ending of Life is Strange 2. Although he had chosen to keep the Mind Palace over Him, Sam learns that making a choice is not so simple.
Kudos: 2





	1. Back to Work

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this in one sitting over the course of about 6 hours.
> 
> The "tinted crystal" idea was the basis for the fic, but I wanted to involve Life is Strange 2 as well, since that is my main fandom. This is likely the one and only Twin Mirror fic I'll ever do - and it's the second one (to my knowledge) by anyone on AO3.
> 
> I chose to use the Redemption ending because I felt it gave the best opportunity for investigation without Daniel's powers being TOO obvious.
> 
> Still, I had a hard time writing the last couple chapters of this fic, but I'm going to chalk that up partly to the Redemption ending itself being unrealistic - Sean getting 15 years in prison without anyone questioning how he actually did all the crimes he was accused of and without Daniel's powers being found out by the government (especially after Haven Point). I think I did an okay job, but don't expect anything amazing. It is what it is.

The phone rings on the desk in Sam Higg’s apartment.

“Is this the new job? Or is it a robocall?” Sam wonders. “Only one way to find out…” He rolls over toward the phone and groggily picks it up to view the screen.

It’s just Joan.

She’s probably the last person in Basswood who doesn’t hate Sam’s guts after he ruined the town a second time. He lets it ring one more time and then picks it up.

(J) “Hi, Muley. Did I wake you?”

(S) “No, Bug. I was… I was already up.”

(J) “How’s that new job going? The one in Arizona.”

(S) “It’s… well it hasn’t started yet. This Maria woman said it’s a classified case. I’m meeting her later today.”

(J) “Classified, huh? Sounds interesting. I wish mom had let me go.”

(S) “I’m pretty sure they wanted just me. Unless you’ve made a national reputation as an investigative journalist since we last spoke? And I thought you were living with your aunt?”

(J) “I am, but mom still thinks she can control everywhere I go. At least she’s less crazy now cause… well, cause of what WE uncovered. I helped you write that story, Muley - don’t forget it!”

(S) “Sure, yeah, you were a great help. Like when you blabbed to everyone that I wanted to solve your dad’s murder when I was trying to play it low-key and not arouse suspicion.”

(J) “At least I didn’t drown myself in beer…”

(S) “Yeah… that’s over. I let my rational side prevail. No more drinking just to fit in. No more waking up with blood-covered shirts in my bathtub…”

(J) “Hold on, Muley. Auntie says I have to take out the garbage and walk the dog. Call you same time tomorrow?”

(S) “I don’t know, Bug… I might be busy.”

(J) “Then I’ll call you the day after.”

Joan hangs up, and Sam checks the time. 10 A.M. Probably about time to get ready anyway.

It’s a pretty nice apartment in downtown Phoenix. The FBI set him up here free of charge while he’s on contract.

It’s hot in Phoenix - especially during the summer. Sam steps out onto his balcony and immediately retreats indoors to put on sunscreen.

He orders room service - also on the FBI’s dime - eggs, bacon, waffles, and maple syrup.

Life has been pretty good since his exposé on Hugh Kirkland. It’s not quite steady work, but in the past 2 months Sam has been the top choice of freelance journalist who’s not afraid to hurt anyone’s feelings.

As someone who likes to travel, he is happy to enjoy the free airfare too - always a requirement when he takes a new job. It’s unfortunate that last night he had to miss the fireworks show in Chicago, but he wasn’t about to pass up such an unusual offer from the FBI - July 4th be damned.

Finally, just before noon, the phone rings again. It’s Agent Maria Flores. Strange that she has a Seattle phone number - what’s she doing all the way down here?

(S) “Hello. Sam Higgs.”

(F) “Yes, Mr. Higgs. This is Special Agent Maria Flores with the FBI. We talked yesterday about contracting you to help on a case here in Arizona. I hope your flight went well.”

(S) “Yeah. First class. Couldn’t have gone any better. I assume we should get started right away - it seemed urgent.”

(F) “Right, but it’s classified. I can’t give you details over the phone. I’m texting you the address of the FBI station in the city. We can meet there. 1 o’clock?”

(S) “I’ll be there.”

Sam looks at the address. Admittedly, he already knew where it was, having started his research when waiting for the plane to take off from Chicago.

He also suspects the case has something to do with a fugitive who was caught by the border midday yesterday. These kids, Sean and Daniel Diaz, left Seattle late last year after the death of their father and a local police officer. It all looks ripe for investigation. This could get Sam an even bigger name than Basswood gave him.

Sam takes the elevator down to the parking lot and remote-unlocks the door to his rental car.

Taking a seat inside, he puts his phone down in the gap between the driver and passenger seats. He won’t need its directions to reach the station, as he has it all plotted out in his head.

Beside the phone he notices the crystal turtle - his most prized possession and somehow he forgot to take it upstairs last night. “Good thing nobody broke in,” Sam says to himself, but he knows to most people this turtle would be no more than a pretty trinket. The car next to him has a whole laptop left in it; they’d surely have been the bigger target.

A perfectly clear crystal. The whole surface of the turtle can be seen at once from any direction. It was the basis for his Mind Palace - where he could see the truth behind any set of circumstances.

But no. There is some discoloration. It must be from the coffee he picked up on his way out of the airport last night. Some of it spilled, and… well, it doesn’t matter. The crystal underneath is still fine. It just needs a careful washing to clear off the coffee residue.

Sam puts his focus back on the task of driving.


	2. Office Talk

Inside the Phoenix FBI Office, Sam Higgs speaks with the receptionist.

He asks where he should go to speak to Agent Flores.

(F) “I’m right here. Behind you.”

Sam turns around. He is a little proud to have beaten her to the station. But she is not late either - it’s still a quarter to one.

(S) “Agent Flores. Sam Higgs, of course.”

(F) “Follow me.”

Flores takes Sam into a small room marked “PRIVATE”. Already in the room are two other men who look like regular police.”.

(F) “This is Officer Patrick Campbell. He works down in El Rey and is personally familiar with our case.”

Officer Campbell nods.

(F) “And this is Officer Tanaka from the Seattle Police Department. He’s been on the case from the very beginning, and I had him flown down to help out.”

(T) “I am happy to see this finally coming to a close.”

(F) “Well, Sean may be in custody, but we had him before and look what happened. It’s not over until we figure out why he fled and how he caused all this destruction.”

(S) “Ah, so that IS what this is about. I heard he turned himself in yesterday. Where is he now? Did he confess?”

(F) “He’s in the building. In an interrogation cell. But he hasn’t said anything yet. You won’t be talking to him today.”

(S) “What about Daniel? Kids never know when to shut up. He should be easy to crack.”

(C) “I still think it’s him. There’s just no way that Sean could knock me out from where he was sitting. I know this sounds ridiculous, but there’s something supernatural about that kid. We can’t just forget he had a whole cult following him. That’s more than coincidence.”

(F) “I respect your experience with the brothers, but the FBI can’t just say that Daniel Diaz is a child sent by God. Magic powers aren’t a real thing - or at least they weren’t before this case.”

(T) “I’m not one to believe in magic either, but no bomb residue was found at the scene in Seattle or in Arcata. Whatever they’re doing isn’t normal. I just wish Sean had been honest from the beginning and turned himself in; we’d be in a lot less mess.”

(F) “Anyway, no talking with Daniel yet either. I want you to talk with the people they lived with for the past 2 months. It’s a small campsite in the middle of nowhere called ‘Away’.”

Flores hands Sam a road map with Away marked.

(S) “That’s not even on a road.”

(F) “There’s a dirt path. We’ll be taking my car. Yours might not make the trip.”


	3. Middle of Nowhere

Reading through the information Agent Flores provided to him, Sam begins to build his mental picture of the brothers’ journey.

Sean and Daniel Diaz grew up in Seattle with their father Esteban - their mother Karen had already left them.

According to his friends, Sean was going to attend a party that day, but instead he got in a fight with his neighbor Brett Foster.

BUMP

The police had been called by Brett’s dad, but there’s no way that Officer Matthews would’ve made it to their address so quickly. The police must’ve been called a few minutes earlier - yes, the notes confirm that.

BUMP

A neighbor down the street Lyla Park was a friend to the brothers and mentioned talking to Sean on Skype before he left the webcam. It was still connected when police officers entered the home 15 minutes later.

The quarrel must’ve started with the father or the little brother outside. The blood on Brett’s shirt - it doesn’t match up with his injuries sustained. How did the police not--

BUMP

\--Oh, they did notice it. That’s just not part of the info released to the public. Conspiracy? Or because Brett was still a minor? And he did go into a coma, so he got injured somehow - but was that from Sean punching him or from the explosion?

BUMP

(S) “Wow, this road quality really makes it hard to think.”

(F) “Sorry about that. But if the state built a road out here, these people would just move somewhere else even more far out.”

(S) “How do you get more distant than this?”

(F) “Rural Alaska?”

(S) “No, thanks. I’ll take this heat over that cold.”

Sam rubs at the glass turtle in his pocket, trying to restore it to its natural clarity. No, this task definitely still needs water.

He manages to sink back into thought.

So why did this explosion happen? Classified records say there was no bomb residue at the scene… this is looking more like a police cover-up than a terrorist investigation.

But if Sean did nothing wrong, why flee the scene? If Joan witnessed Kathy getting shot and her house blowing up, she’d be knocking on everyone’s door in town begging for an investigation.

Is it because they’re Mexican - well, half-Mexican - that they wouldn’t have the same extent of presumption of innocence that white kids get? Even so, staying had to be safer than running from the law…

Flores said in one of her reports from the California hospital that Sean reacted strongly at her suggestion that Daniel might be involved. Did he run away to protect Daniel? If a kid really did have magic powers, that kid would become a science toy for the government in a heartbeat.

None of this even explains their presence at Jonathan Merrill’s weed farm. We know the brothers were headed for Mexico, so they needed money, but was that really the only way?

And why even go to Mexico? They have an extradition treaty with the U.S., so crossing the border wouldn’t make the boys home free. It doesn’t matter that their dad had property down there, and there’s a legal question of if the property would even belong to them anyway - as neither child was yet old enough to own property without it being in the care of someone else - likely a distant relative.

Maybe this is thinking about it too hard… They don’t have adult minds. They probably just made some bad decisions.

(F) “We’re here. Remember if you help us find the truth all your debts will be paid off. So do your thing.”

Agent Flores parks the car, and the two of them exit.

A small crowd of people have gathered around them. Sam already knows who’s who from the files.

The closest pair are Arthur and Stanley, a gay couple who moved out here where they thought it was more accepting - which is weird because San Francisco is pretty damn accepting. The property values are certainly cheaper here though.

Then there’s Joan, a retired artist who stopped her cancer treatments and decided to live the rest of her days out here in the desert. Pretty sure that’s not going to work out for her long term - but her life, her choice.

And the last person is David, an ex-military man as well as an ex-husband. His daughter died to some maniac rich kid in Oregon, and relationships don’t survive something like that - heck, Sam’s own relationships have failed due to far less.

The mother of the boys, Karen Reynolds, had reconnected with them a couple months ago and brought them here, but she is still in prison herself for setting fire to a church.

(F) “We are here to ask you about Sean and Daniel Diaz. It will just be a few hours at the most.”

(Joan) “And then you’ll leave us alone?”

(F) “We’ll leave you alone when you give us a straight answer. Now, go to your different homes, and Mr. Higgs will interview you. Stanley and Arthur, stay on opposite ends of your house and don’t talk until he has finished with each of you. Any more fuss from anyone, and you’re all coming to the station.”


	4. An Unexpected Visit

Sam starts his talks with Arthur, but he’s not saying anything useful.

Try as he might, Sam cannot catch Stanley in a lie either. They both act as though Sean and Daniel just lived here and never talked at all about their past.

“Have some compassion for the boys.” Stanley requests. “They’ve lost a lot.”

Compassion? That has nothing to do with this. This is a job. Find out the truth, report it, and get paid. Compassion isn’t helpful.

Sam next approaches David.

(S) “Hi, Sam Higgs.”

(D) “No clue. Am I supposed to know that name?”

(S) “Well, you probably don’t get the news down here, but I uncovered two corruption scandals in my hometown that made national news.”

(D) “Great. So what do you need from an old soldier?”

(S) “I need the truth. How is it that no one at Away was concerned about suspected terrorists staying with them?”

(D) “No one was concerned? I was concerned. But I got to know them, and they aren’t bad. Misguided… maybe… but terrorists? That’s just crap.”

(S) “People can pretend to be one thing but really be something entirely different. That old man Hugh from Basswood - well, he wasn’t really FROM Basswood, but he pretended to--”

(D) “Look, uh, I don’t care about your history in Basswood. And I don’t care to dwell on what Sean and Daniel did in the past. The important thing is that Sean chose to turn himself in. Would a terrorist do that?”

(S) “That was AFTER he just wrecked a whole police station. He only turned himself in when there was no other choice.”

(D) “Well, I don’t know anything about that. But let’s judge him on who he is now… and if you just talk to him you’ll see he’s a good person. I challenge you to find one person who’s gone through what this guy did to rescue his brother.”

(S) “You’re talking about the Haven Point cult?”

(D) “Yeah, I’m sure you’ve read about it in your files. Daniel was with them. They were turning him into something else. Using him for their own benefit. But Sean - and Karen - they went there and saved him. Let him become his own person again.”

(S) “I get what you’re saying, but… it’s irrelevant to the truth. And you know more than you’re saying. Why was he being worshipped?”

(D) “Ha. You aren’t suggesting he has a superpower, are you?”

(S) “I don’t know. Does he?”

(D) “Of course not. I’ve never met anybody with a superpower - have you?”

(S) “No, I guess not.”

Sam wanted to mention his Mind Palace. He knows it puts him above everyone else in analysis, and it feels so real. But he doesn’t want to look crazy, and he doesn’t want the government analyzing HIM.

(Him) “Hey.”

Sam looks around. Time stands still except for him and someone he thought he’d never see again - his mirror self.

(S) “You know… I wasn’t talking - thinking - about you. You’re gone, remember? It’s the mind palace they’d be analyzing me for.”

(Him) “Ouch. How about ‘it’s good to see you’?”

(S) “It’s… not… good to see you. Last time we spoke I got caught in my nightmare for an hour trying to sort myself out. I gave you up. That’s how it has to be.”

(Him) “I’m sorry, but that’s NOT how it has to be. You can always make a new choice.”

(S) “Weren’t you the one who said I’d never see you again? So you were wrong?”

(Him) “Well, I was never the one obsessed with being right, Sam. We both know that.”

(S) “Okay, so why are you back now?”

(Him) “Look at that turtle in your pocket.”

Sam pulls it out. In his vision augmented by the mind palace, the coffee stain has penetrated into the crystal itself, and some of it is now a transparent brown-orange.

(Him) “Do you know why it’s tinted?”

(S) “Yeah, because I spilled coffee on it last night, and I haven’t had the chance to clean it.”

(Him) “No, no, Sam, don’t be so literal. It’s a metaphor! Even in making your ‘ultimate choice’ to keep the Mind Palace over me, nothing is ever as ultimate as your want it to be. We’re humans, and we get to choose every day how we’re going to act. If something moves you emotionally… you still have the option to choose compassion over truth.”

(S) “Okay, fuck you. This story is too good to ignore. I want the truth, and you’re not going to stop me.”

Sam realizes he said those last words out loud and time is back to normal.

(D) “Thought you’d be more polite than that, but suit yourself. Fuck you too, asshole.”

Finally, Sam speaks with Joan - not his goddaughter Joan but the artist woman Joan.

(S) “That statue… thing… it has Sean and Daniel’s name on it.”

(Joan) “Yeah… they helped me build it.”

(S) “How… exactly… did you build it? I don’t see any heavy machinery. No cranes. No platforms you can lift up and down.”

(Joan) “An artist never shares her secrets.”

(S) “There were reports from Haven Point of Daniel lifting cars… do you think those are true?”

(Joan) “I think those boys could do anything they set their mind to. If they can imagine it, they can create it.”

(S) “I’d like a straight Yes or No. Unless you want to get taken down to Phoenix and spend the rest of your days there.”

(Joan) “I don’t. But that’s on you if you want to do that - it’s not on my conscience.”

Sam reconsiders his threat. Maybe he went a bit too far. She is a cancer survivor, after all. Using her limited time against her… might be too far even for Sam.

(S) “There’s no need. I know someone else I can talk to anyway.”


	5. Testimony

The next day, Sam is in his apartment searching the Internet for anything that might help his case.

Crazy reddit threads, interviews with people the brothers passed, and social media testimonies of Daniel’s miracles at Haven Point - unfortunately without any video proof.

The church has long since burned down, and Haven Point fell into disarray.

One faction of parishoners still tends to the grounds and is building a new church.

A smaller group has broken off and seeks to find Daniel - even now that he’s in police custody.

And a few individuals have apparently decided the whole church was a work of Satan and that Daniel is an abomination.

As a whole, society sees all these people as crazy. Most people are more worried about the older brother’s guilt or innocence regarding the terrorism of which he’s been accused.

Sam is in conflict. On one hand, the idea of Daniel having telekinetic powers seems so absurd. But on the other hand, it’s only about 80% crazier than his Mind Palace and Him. And it would answer so many of the mysteries of the case.

He decides he needs to speak with this Lisbeth Fischer who ran the Haven Point Church. He sends an e-mail to the address on her website.

As fortune would have it, Lisbeth is in Phoenix right now, leading a small protest for Daniel to be released. Sam drives to the FBI office and meets her outside.

(Lis) “Please, free my angel.”

(S) “I am not in any position to set him free, but he’s a kid, so they can’t keep him locked up forever, right?”

(Lis) “Oh, but they can. He is a blessed child, and the authorities of this world don’t want us to know.”

(S) “He is blessed… in what way?”

(Lis) “He holds the power of God. He has borne the weight of his brother’s sins too many times. He should never have left our protection. He sees that now, I am sure, but it is too late! Unless we free him now!”

(S) “Okay… I’m not religious… so let’s just stick to the facts. How can I know he has done these miracles?”

(Lis) “Hear my testimony and those of others gathered with me. Put your faith in God that he will show you we speak the truth!”

(S) “Miss, I don’t think you understand. If you want me to help you, I need, like, actual evidence. Do you have any of that?”

(Lis) “I might… but you have to promise Daniel is delivered back to me. Sean is pointless - all that matters is Daniel returns home.”

Well, what harm does lying to a crazy pseudo-Christian lady do?

(S) “Yeah, their mother is in prison too - for burning down your church, no less - so Daniel’s going to need a new guardian. You care for him more than his grandparents ever could.”

(Lis) “Yes, you understand… here, I am sending a video file to your e-mail address. Please keep it to yourself, and get my angel out of there.”

(S) “I will, ma’am. You will be reunited soon.”

Powers or not, there is no way Sam would ever give Daniel’s custody to Lisbeth Fischer.

He gets back into his car and picks up some food at a drive-in restaurant. While he eats, he watches a video of a church service which he deduces Lisbeth must have recorded herself.

In this evening service, Daniel’s gaze focused on several candles, and they proceeded to float around the room.

Candles - that explains the church fire. Maybe Karen was innocent of that after all.

But in the video, the candles were being handled safely. They flew far above the audience where no one could touch them, and then they returned to the stage.

Daniel appeared to be guiding the candles often with his right hand, and everything in the video looked genuine. Sam even plays the video back frame-by-frame and looks for any evidence that it was faked, but this is either the best fake he’s ever seen or it’s real.

He decides not to report this finding to Agent Flores yet. Flores might call him off the case if he submits his findings now, and Daniel would be transported to some secure facility far away from here - maybe even eliminated if he doesn’t cooperate with the government’s demands. This is serious stuff.

Tomorrow he’ll have a chance to talk with Sean and Daniel in custody, and he would like to see the truth from Daniel first-hand.


	6. Tamed Wolves

Sam is woken once again by a call from Joan - his goddaughter, not the artist in Away.

(S) “Hey, Bug, what’s going on?”

(J) “Oh, nothing here. What’s going on where you are?”

(S) “You know I can’t say that. It’s classified. I’m on contract. I get sued if I tell you the case details.”

(J) “It’s the Diaz Brothers case, right?”

(S) “Joan…”

(J) “So that’s a yes? I hope you find out what happened with their dad. I bet they’re being framed, and it’s all the cop’s fault. We know about bad cops here in Basswood, right, Muley?”

(S) “I don’t really want to talk about Declan…”

(J) “If they are setting off bombs, they’ve got to be pretty good at science, right? I mean - at least if they make the bombs themselves. And they do it while on the run all on their own. You gotta admire the skill.”

(S) “Look, please don’t go making bombs or fleeing your aunt’s house. It was hard enough to get your mom to let you take a break from here there.”

(J) “Relax. I’m just joking. I’m still sitting here in my room doing absolutely nothing. I swear this city is so boring it’s only 10 times more interesting than Basswood.”

(S) “Goodbye, Bug. I have work to do.”

(J) “Another 2 days then?”

(S) “Can we just go back to texting?”

(J) “Uh… you don’t reply to my texts. That’s why I started calling you.”

(S) “Okay, that’s fair. Sorry for being an ass… again… but I do have to go.”

Sam hangs up the phone and drives down to the station - a drive with which he’s already way too familiar.

He arrives and shakes off Lisbeth when she confronts him in the parking lot.

(S) “Look, the best thing you can do for Daniel right now is stop making a scene about his powers. I’ll handle it.”

Sam makes his way indoors and to the holding cells.

A solid iron door opens, and the guard lets the investigative reporter in to speak with the 10-year-old Daniel Diaz.

Is this legal without his parents present? Probably not. But it looks like the government doesn’t care right now - not with a case of potential terrorism and with one parent dead, the other in prison, and the grandparents a thousand miles away.

Every interaction is being recorded, so Sam must choose his words careful

(Dan) “Who the fuck are you?”

(Sam) “I’m Sam Higgs. And I’m here to help you, if you’ll let me.”

(Dan) “I wanna go home to my grandparents. Or to mom. But nobody’s listening.”

(Sam) “Well, they’re just trying to understand what happened.”

(Dan) “That’s bullshit! They want Sean to go to prison for a long time, and they want me to tell on him. But we didn’t even do anything wrong!”

(Sam) “Okay, maybe it’s bullshit. What are you going to do about it? Break him free again like Officer Campbell says you did in the El Ray station? Do you know how much more security we have here than there?”

(Dan) “I don’t know anything. They locked me up here on the 4th and now it’s like 3 days later and I still haven’t left. I eat my food on this table. I even have to shit in here - there’s a toilet behind that little wall. If I could break out, I’d break out, right?”

(Sam) “Your brother gave himself up, right? I think… you’re just respecting his choice.”

(Dan) “It was the right choice. We didn’t do anything wrong. We shouldn’t have to live on the run. Besides, I’m just a kid. How could I do anything to break out?”

(Sam) “Well, some people have said you ha--”

(Dan) “You mean those Haven Point crazies? Why would you believe them? That’s like believing a Flat-Earther. God, you’re stupid. Look at me. I’m just a kid.”

(Sam) “Lisbeth’s waiting outside for you, you know.”

(Dan) “She’s so creepy. She thinks I’m something I’m not. I want a restraining order…”

(Sam) “Haha. Well we can look into that. I’ll let Agent Flores know.”

(Dan) “Good.”

(Sam) “Hey, I learned a little something in my investigation… want this?”

Sam holds up a Chock-o-Crisp bar.

(Dan) “They already gave me one of those 2 days ago. I’m being honest. I don’t know anything. There’s nothing to bribe me for.”

(Sam) “Just take it anyway. I’m sorry for what you’ve gone through.”

Daniel grasps onto the chocolate bar, but Sam keeps it in his hold a moment longer and looks Daniel in the eyes.

(Sam) “And know that everything here is for the best.”

Sam lets go and then stands, motioning to the guard that he is done here.

He wanders down the hall to a lounge where he waits for his appointment to see Sean. In the chair next to him, he spots his mirror self.

(Sam) “Back so soon?”

(Him) “I’m not sure you understand what compassion is.”

(Sam) “I thought this is what you wanted. I’m helping Daniel get his freedom.”

(Him) “Sparing one brother by getting the other convicted? I saw what you wrote in the fold of that Chock-o-Crisp wrapper.”

BLAME SEAN OR LISBETH CANDLES VIDEO RELEASED

(Sam) “Like it or not, this is the compassionate move. If they both keep saying they’re both innocent, someone else is going to find that video from Lisbeth. Maybe they won’t believe it at first, but with enough evidence, it adds up… and Daniel will be locked away or killed unless he does everything the government wants.”

(Him) “And what if he chooses not to blame Sean still? Or what if he doesn’t even read or understand the message? You’re just causing him more trauma.”

(Sam) “Some people don’t stop looking until they’ve found an answer - right or wrong. We’re going to give them the wrong answer so that they don’t find the right one. If I can find a way to get Sean to confess, then it’ll be easy for Daniel to go along with that.”

Later, Sam speaks with Sean in a different holding cell.

(Sean) “How’s Daniel?”

(Sam) “He’s fine, but I need your help for things to stay that way.”

(Sean) “What does that mean? What are you doing to my brother?”

(Sam) “If you admit to your crimes, he’ll be let free. Maybe not today, but by the end of the month.”

(Sean) “I didn’t do anything!”

(Sam) “Look… I thought about what happened at the border… how you surrendered instead of pulling another of what you did in Seattle and Arcata. You surrendered for your brother, right?”

(Sean) “I mean, yeah, but I want a life too. I want to get back to Lyla and Cassidy and everyone else.”

(Sam) “But if you had to choose?”

(Sean) “That’s so unfair…”

(Sam) “It’s not me being unfair, Sean, but the more you press your innocence the more focus will be on your brother. How long do you think he’ll stand up to that pressure? And what will happen if he breaks?”

(Sean) “Fine… fuck…”

(Sam) “Speak the truth… admit the guilt to your crimes… and it’ll be over.”


	7. The Waiting Game

Late that evening, Sam receives a call from Agent Flores to come back to the office.

He brings his paperwork with him, making the case to the best of his ability that Sean is guilty and that claims of Daniel’s power don’t pass scrutiny.

Flores skims through the report.

(F) “I’ll give this a more thorough reading later.”

(S) “So what do you think?”

(F) “It makes sense. Nothing too monumental though. I’ll have your paycheck in tomorrow, and I’ll book you a flight back to Chicago - or wherever you’re headed next.

(S) “You don’t think there’s more to uncover here?”

(F) “Actually, Sean confessed just after you left - to everything. Daniel didn’t believe it at first, and he demanded to see Sean.”

(S) “So Sean told Daniel he could stop lying?”

(F) “Basically, yes. They hugged and cried and Daniel started speaking soon after. He loves his brother, but he appreciates that Sean wants him to be honest - as I do.”

(S) “Well that’s awful, but I guess it’s good to close the book on the case. Just gotta let it work its way through sentencing first. How long will he get?”

(F) “I’m no judge, but the bureau tells me it’ll be a minimum of 15 years. And that’s on best behavior. He caused a lot of damage, and human lives were lost.”

(S) “Dang, that’s long.”

(F) “One thing that doesn’t make sense… Sean confessed to causing the explosions, but he won’t give any details on how, and Daniel doesn’t know either.”

(S) “Why would he confess to a crime he didn’t commit?”

(F) “I don’t know. We’re going to put Daniel with a foster family for a few weeks until his grandparents are approved to take custody. We’ll keep in contact with them - see if they learn anything else.”

The next morning, Sam collects his paycheck and flies back to Chicago. He hopes Daniel can continue to keep his powers a secret in foster care, or this could all be undone.

He looks at the video in his inbox of Daniel’s powers… and presses delete. And then permanently deletes it from trash.

(Him) “So you passed up your chance for the biggest story of all time?”

(Sam) “Yep. I guess I did.”

(Him) “For the freedom of a 10-year-old who hates your guts?”

(Sam) “And to save the world from mass hysteria when everyone learns superpowers are real. I rather like living in a world where people can rely on science.”

(Him) “So was THAT your motivation all along?”

(Sam) “I don’t know. Even with powers, there must be some other science that describes it somehow. Hey, you know what? I don’t need to justify my choices to you.”

Reaching into his luggage, Sam pulls out the crystal turtle and moves steadfastly toward the bathroom where he washes it thoroughly with soap and water.

(Him) “You know that’s just a simulacrum, right? I don’t go away just because you clean it. But, sure, I’ll play along…”


End file.
